Tiny Planets
Synopsis (Some people call this show Bing and Bong) Tiny Planets follows Bing and Bong on their adventures in the Tiny Universe. Bing and Bong are two friendly furry aliens (Bing is big in size and resembles an amiable yeti, Bong is his smaller six-legged sidekick, somewhat resembling across between a spider and a poodle) who live on a planet with an apparently icy climate. Their fluffy white sofa catapults them across their stellar system to explore the mysteries of light and colour, animation, sound and the water cycle among other things. Their stellar system has six other planets, each with a speciality to it (Nature, Sound, Light and Color, Technology, Self, and Stuff, respectively). Tiny Planets’ surreal and captivating universe was created with CGI animation which gives the series a spectacular depth of scale and vibrant colour that captures young children's attention. This animation is also evident on their website and was the basis for their BAFTA award. In its original form Tiny Planets encourages its pre-school viewers to make their own discoveries as they solve problems. The program helps children examine how things work, strengthen their observation skills, consider underlying relationships and identify/test new ideas. Each episode told a simple tale that children could watch by themselves and understand. Watching with a parent gave the added dimension of asking questions about what was happening, enhancing the experience and building a questioning mentality in the child. However, such concepts were alien to certain markets (notably the USA) so the narrator character of Halley was added to the completed episodes for certain markets outside the UK. The programme eventually did make it back to the U.S. on Sesame Workshop's former joint venture with Nickelodeon, the Noggin cable channel, in April 1, 2002. The 5-minute episodes would be shown in between 30-minute shows on the channel. However, the show proved so popular that by mid-2004 Noggin showed it in its own 30-minute block each day (after Bob the Builder), showing several episodes in the time span. As evidence of its growing popularity in the United States, the Tiny Planets merchandise site split after entry into separate UK and U.S. versions, a Spanish language version of the Tiny Planets website was also introduced. The Tiny Planets website also had a section imagining a NASA space mission to photograph the Tiny Planets universe which introduced young children to the U.S. space agency’s work in space exploration. The U.S. market aired so far all the episodes of Tiny Planets and fellow Noggin program Oswald. Tiny Planets began airing on Qubo in August 2019. The Tiny Planets *'The Home Planet:' This is where Bing and Bong live and set out from every morning on a new adventure. It is an icy world, covered in snow-capped ice floes and crystals. Inside one of these giant crystals is Bing and Bong’s home, decorated in a steampunk idiom, with much brasswork. The main feature is the fluffy white sofa which not only doubles as a bed, but can be launched into space by a huge trebuchet, tethered to the Home Planet by a bungee cord. Also on the home planet is their fantastic machine. *'The Tiny Planet of Nature:' A verdant and lush world, with trees, lakes, mountains and flowers. The seasons there are much like a stereotypically temperate part of the Earth, with snow in winter, hot sun in summer and falling leaves in autumn. *'The Tiny Planet of Sound:' A rocky desert, with odd flora such as Pitch-Plants (extendible flutes that can be blown), maraca leaves and self-playing Tomtom trees. Flockers and Locals often hold concerts here. The planet is surrounded by a swarm of small asteroids, which spirals from pole to pole. *'The Tiny Planet of Stuff:' Shaped like a huge Möbius strip and patterned with pink and teal grid patterns, this is where Bing and Bong solve problems involving arithmetic, logic and geometry. Its surface possesses an abundance of geometric forms, particularly cubes and spheres, also commonly with a pink and teal grid patterns.In one story on the tiny planet of stuff,there are shapes that go to a dance party with Bing and Bong,and in another story, the shapes appear again. This time the shapes try to get through slots in a wall. Bing and Bong have to use a ladder to get over the wall. The shapes are a triangle, a square and a circle. *'The Tiny Planet of Light and Colour:' An environment where Bing and Bong explore optical phenomena. Around the planet there is a wide, circular, semi-transparent band inlaid with parallel strips of ever-changing colours. The landscape is similar to a desert, and the most notable features are the bullet-shaped rock pillars with faint coloured spots on them. *'The Tiny Planet of Technology:' A large brass sphere, with four tethered satellites: two cubes and two spheres. The action takes place inside this planet, with an emphasis on structures and principles of physics. *'The Tiny Planet of Self:' A loose cluster of rocky outcrops floating in a sunny atmosphere, linked by rows of stepping-stones. From space this planet appears to be covered in colourful clouds. There are pagoda-like pavilions and a sports arena here, and local transport is by sky-boat. Lessons of health, emotions, and good manners are learned here. Cast *[[Bing|'Bing']]:' A large bipedal white furry alien. Owns bottomless satchel containing useful items. *[[Bong|'Bong]]:' A small hexapodal white furry alien with a playful personality. *[[Flockers|'Flockers]]:' Armless ostrich-like aliens. Each Tiny Planet has its own distinct flocker population. Flockers may have one or two legs and one or two heads. They exist in a multitude of colours, and they hatch from eggs. *[[Locals|'Locals]]:' Small, almost featureless aliens often but not always resembling squeaking, bouncing colourful eggs with eyes and occasionally ears or antennae. On the Tiny Planet of Self there is at least one cube-shaped Local. On the Tiny Planet of Stuff there is a large cheesewheel-shaped local with a capacious mouth, who in one episode devours Bing and Bong's entire picnic cake in one gulp and then rolls away. This large local also appeared on the Tiny Planet of Technology. *[[Robots|'Robots]]:' Segmented spherical automatons built most often with mechanical arms and helicopter rotors. Some have wheels or speakers and at least one has electric heaters for hands. The robot model is also used as a frozen yoghurt machine and a suit rack. *[[Halley|'Halley]]: A small wide-eyed alien who provides a running commentary from her flying saucer and “films” the action with a remote camera to provide a summary at the end of the episode. The character did not feature in the series as originally broadcast, and was subsequently added to clarify the episode’s plots. She is voiced by the singer of the theme song and has a British accent that is kept in the U.S. showings, Kim Goody. List of episodes Each episode is 5 minutes. Season 1 Theme Song Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) Heroes of the Universe Adventure every day From their home in space Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) There’s a tiny planet calling A new exciting day And we’re on our way Theme Song (Extended version) Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) There’s a tiny planet calling (echoing Calling, calling, calling) Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) Heroes of the Universe Adventure every day From their home in space Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) There’s a tiny planet calling A new exciting day And we’re on our way (Reaching out into other worlds) (Satellite control, satellite control) Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) Heroes of the Universe Adventure every day From their home in space Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) There’s a tiny planet calling A new exciting day And we’re on our way Tiny planet travellers Flying through the stars On their way to a mission Passing Venus, passing Mars Always looking for the answers On their sofa out in space In the beauty of the universe they play Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) Heroes of the Universe Adventure every day From their home in space Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) There’s a tiny planet calling A new exciting day And we’re on our way Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind And we’re on our way Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) There’s a tiny planet calling (echoing Calling, calling, calling) Bing and Bong (echoing Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong, Bing and Bong) There’s a tiny planet calling (echoing Calling, calling, calling) (Echoing Calling, calling, calling) (Reaching Out into other worlds) Credits Supervising Sound Editor * Timothy J. Borquez, MPSE Sound Designer * Jeff Hutchins Sound Editors * Eric Freeman * Tom Syslo Re-Recording Mixers * Eric Freeman * Timothy J. Borquez, CAS References Category:Episodes Category:Sesame Workshop (2000-present) Category:Warner Bros. Animation